The present application relates to retractor assemblies and methods for use in performing surgery in a patient, and more particularly, but not exclusively, relates to assemblies for tissue retraction to facilitate a procedure within a patient through the retracted tissue.
Traditional surgical procedures for pathologies located within the body can cause significant trauma to the intervening tissues. These procedures often require a long incision, extensive muscle stripping, prolonged retraction of tissues, denervation and devascularization of tissue. These procedures can require operating room time of several hours and several weeks of post-operative recovery time due to the destruction of tissue during the surgical procedure. In some cases, these invasive procedures lead to permanent scarring and pain that can be more severe than the pain leading to the surgical intervention.
The development of minimally invasive surgical procedures and instruments has yielded a major improvement in reducing recovery time and post-operative pain because minimal dissection of tissue, such as muscle tissue, is required. For example, minimally invasive surgical techniques are desirable for spinal and neurosurgical applications because of the need for access to locations within the body and the danger of damage to vital intervening tissues. While developments in surgical procedures and instruments have provided steps in the right direction, there remains a need for further development in tissue retraction devices and methods.